albert savarus-第3章

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Beauffremont；　the　de　Scey；　and　the　Gramont　families；　with　a　few　others
who　come　only　to　stay　on　their　estates　in　the　Comte；　the　aristocracy
of　Besancon　dates　no　further　back　than　a　couple　of　centuries；　the　time
of　the　conquest　by　Louis　XIV。　This　little　world　is　essentially　of　the
/parlement/；　and　arrogant；　stiff；　solemn；　uncompromising；　haughty
beyond　all　comparison；　even　with　the　Court　of　Vienna；　for　in　this　the
nobility　of　Besancon　would　put　the　Viennese　drawing…rooms　to　shame。　As
to　Victor　Hugo；　Nodier；　Fourier；　the　glories　of　the　town；　they　are
never　mentioned；　no　one　thinks　about　them。　The　marriages　in　these
families　are　arranged　in　the　cradle；　so　rigidly　are　the　greatest
things　settled　as　well　as　the　smallest。　No　stranger；　no　intruder；　ever
finds　his　way　into　one　of　these　houses；　and　to　obtain　an　introduction
for　the　colonels　or　officers　of　title　belonging　to　the　first　families
in　France　when　quartered　there；　requires　efforts　of　diplomacy　which
Prince　Talleyrand　would　gladly　have　mastered　to　use　at　a　congress。

In　1834　Amedee　was　the　only　man　in　Besancon　who　wore　trouser…straps；
this　will　account　for　the　young　man's　being　regarded　as　a　lion。　And　a
little　anecdote　will　enable　you　to　understand　the　city　of　Besancon。

Some　time　before　the　opening　of　this　story；　the　need　arose　at　the
prefecture　for　bringing　an　editor　from　Paris　for　the　official
newspaper；　to　enable　it　to　hold　its　own　against　the　little　/Gazette/；
dropped　at　Besancon　by　the　great　/Gazette/；　and　the　/Patriot/；　which
frisked　in　the　hands　of　the　Republicans。　Paris　sent　them　a　young　man；
knowing　nothing　about　la　Franche　Comte；　who　began　by　writing　them　a
leading　article　of　the　school　of　the　/Charivari/。　The　chief　of　the
moderate　party；　a　member　of　the　municipal　council；　sent　for　the
journalist　and　said　to　him；　〃You　must　understand；　monsieur；　that　we
are　serious；　more　than　serioustiresome；　we　resent　being　amused；　and
are　furious　at　having　been　made　to　laugh。　Be　as　hard　of　digestion　as
the　toughest　disquisitions　in　the　Revue　des　Deux　Mondes；　and　you　will
hardly　reach　the　level　of　Besancon。〃

The　editor　took　the　hint；　and　thenceforth　spoke　the　most
incomprehensible　philosophical　lingo。　His　success　was　complete。

If　young　Monsieur　de　Soulas　did　not　fall　in　the　esteem　of　Besancon
society；　it　was　out　of　pure　vanity　on　its　part；　the　aristocracy　were
happy　to　affect　a　modern　air；　and　to　be　able　to　show　any　Parisians　of
rank　who　visited　the　Comte　a　young　man　who　bore　some　likeness　to　them。

All　this　hidden　labor；　all　this　dust　thrown　in　people's　eyes；　this
display　of　folly　and　latent　prudence；　had　an　object；　or　the　/lion/　of
Besancon　would　have　been　no　son　of　the　soil。　Amedee　wanted　to　achieve
a　good　marriage　by　proving　some　day　that　his　farms　were　not　mortgaged；
and　that　he　had　some　savings。　He　wanted　to　be　the　talk　of　the　town；　to
be　the　finest　and　best…dressed　man　there；　in　order　to　win　first　the
attention；　and　then　the　hand；　of　Mademoiselle　Rosalie　de　Watteville。

In　1830；　at　the　time　when　young　Monsieur　de　Soulas　was　setting　up　in
business　as　a　dandy；　Rosalie　was　but　fourteen。　Hence；　in　1834；
Mademoiselle　de　Watteville　had　reached　the　age　when　young　persons　are
easily　struck　by　the　peculiarities　which　attracted　the　attention　of
the　town　to　Amedee。　There　are　so　many　/lions/　who　become　/lions/　out
of　self…interest　and　speculation。　The　Wattevilles；　who　for　twelve
years　had　been　drawing　an　income　of　fifty　thousand　francs　a　year；　did
not　spend　more　than　four…and…twenty　thousand　francs　a　year；　while
receiving　all　the　upper　circle　of　Besancon　every　Monday　and　Friday。　On
Monday　they　gave　a　dinner；　on　Friday　an　evening　party。　Thus；　in　twelve
years；　what　a　sum　must　have　accumulated　from　twenty…six　thousand
francs　a　year；　saved　and　invested　with　the　judgment　that　distinguishes
those　old　families！　It　was　very　generally　supposed　that　Madame　de
Watteville；　thinking　she　had　land　enough；　had　placed　her　savings　in
the　three　per　cents；　in　1830。　Rosalie's　dowry　would　therefore；　as　the
best　informed　opined；　amount　to　about　twenty　thousand　francs　a　year。
So　for　the　last　five　years　Amedee　had　worked　like　a　mole　to　get　into
the　highest　favor　of　the　severe　Baroness；　while　laying　himself　out　to
flatter　Mademoiselle　de　Watteville's　conceit。

Madame　de　Watteville　was　in　the　secret　of　the　devices　by　which　Amedee
succeeded　in　keeping　up　his　rank　in　Besancon；　and　esteemed　him　highly
for　it。　Soulas　had　placed　himself　under　her　wing　when　she　was　thirty；
and　at　that　time　had　dared　to　admire　her　and　make　her　his　idol；　he　had
got　so　far　as　to　be　allowedhe　alone　in　the　worldto　pour　out　to　her
all　the　unseemly　gossip　which　almost　all　very　precise　women　love　to
hear；　being　authorized　by　their　superior　virtue　to　look　into　the　gulf
without　falling；　and　into　the　devil's　snares　without　being　caught。　Do
you　understand　why　the　lion　did　not　allow　himself　the　very　smallest
intrigue？　He　lived　a　public　life；　in　the　street　so　to　speak；　on
purpose　to　play　the　part　of　a　lover　sacrificed　to　duty　by　the
Baroness；　and　to　feast　her　mind　with　the　sins　she　had　forbidden　to　her
senses。　A　man　who　is　so　privileged　as　to　be　allowed　to　pour　light
stories　into　the　ear　of　a　bigot　is　in　her　eyes　a　charming　man。　If　this
exemplary　youth　had　better　known　the　human　heart；　he　might　without
risk　have　allowed　himself　some　flirtations　among　the　grisettes　of
Besancon　who　looked　up　to　him　as　a　king；　his　affairs　might　perhaps
have　been　all　the　more　hopeful　with　the　strict　and　prudish　Baroness。
To　Rosalie　our　Cato　affected　prodigality；　he　professed　a　life　of
elegance；　showing　her　in　perspective　the　splendid　part　played　by　a
woman　of　fashion　in　Paris；　whither　he　meant　to　go　as　Depute。

All　these　manoeuvres　were　crowned　with　complete　success。　In　1834　the
mothers　of　the　forty　noble　families　composing　the　high　society　of
Besancon　quoted　Monsieur　Amedee　de　Soulas　as　the　most　charming　young
man　in　the　town；　no　one　would　have　dared　to　dispute　his　place　as　cock
of　the　walk　at　the　Hotel　de　Rupt；　and　all　Besancon　regarded　him　as
Rosalie　de　Watteville's　future　husband。　There　had　even　been　some
exchange　of　ideas　on　the　subject　between　the　Baroness　and　Amedee；　to
which　the　Baron's　apparent　nonentity　gave　some　certainty。

Mademoiselle　de　Watteville；　to　whom　her　enormous　prospective　fortune
at　that　time　lent　considerable　importance；　had　been　brought　up
exclusively　within　the　precincts　of　the　Hotel　de　Ruptwhich　her
mother　rarely　quitted；　so　devoted　was　she　to　her　dear　Archbishopand
severely　repressed　by　an　exclusively　religious　education；　and　by　her
mother's　despotism；　which　held　her　rigidly　to　principles。　Rosalie　knew
absolutely　nothing。　Is　it　knowledge　to　have　learned　geography　from
Guthrie；　sacred　history；　ancient　history；　the　history　of　France；　and
the　four　rules　all　passed　through　the　sieve　of　an　old　Jesuit？　Dancing
and　music　were　forbidden；　as　being　more　likely　to　corrupt　life　than　to
grace　it。　The　Baroness　taught　her　daughter　every　conceivable　stitch　in
tapestry　and　women's　workplain　sewing；　embroidery；　netting。　At
seventeen　Rosalie　had　never　read　anything　but　the　/Lettres　edifiantes/
and　some　works　on　heraldry。　No　newspaper　had　ever　defiled　her　sight。
She　attended　mass　at　the　Cathedral　every　morning；　taken　there　by　her
mother；　came　back　to　breakfast；　did　needlework　after　a　little　walk　in
the　garden；　and　received　visitors；　sitting　with　the　baroness　until
dinner…time。　Then；　after　dinner；　excepting　on　Mondays　and　Fridays；　she
accompanied　Madame　de　Watteville　to　other　houses　to　spend　the　evening；
without　being　allowed　to　talk　more　than　the　maternal　rule　permitted。

At　eighteen　Mademoiselle　de　Watteville　was　a　slight；　thin　girl　with　a
flat　figure；　fair；　colorless；　and　insignificant　to　the　last　degree。
Her　eyes；　of　a　very　light　blue；　borrowed　beauty　from　their　lashes；
which；　when　downcast；　threw　a　shadow　on　her　cheeks。　A　few　freckles
marred　the　whiteness　of　her　forehead；　which　was　shapely　enough。　Her
face　was　exactly　like　those　of　Albert　Durer's　saints；　or　those　of　the
painters　before　Perugino；　the　same　plump；　though　slender　modeling；　the
same　delicacy　saddened　by　ecstasy；　the　same　severe　guilelessness。
Everything　about　her；　even　to　her